Fly Fishing Blog by Alphonse Fishing Co™

FARQUHAR ATOLL FLY FISHING REPORT | 12 FEB – 19 FEB

Nine guests of varying nationalities met up at the Farquhar guest lodge, greeted by beautiful weather and a team of experienced guides to help them get set up for landing the fish they sought. Some guests were first timers and others were seasoned returning guests.

Day one started off strong with every boat landing at least one GT each. Tim and Rupert both landed their first each, with Tim managing to land two. Marcus and Scott both also landed two GTs each. Jonathan opened his Seychelles account with his first ever bonefish. The guides and guests took it to another level on day two with another eight GTs being landed, Luke managing to land his first for the week. On guide Yousuf’s boat, Scott was a standout with his outstanding day on the flats. He managed to land a GT and a bonefish, but wasn’t quite done yet. Being Valentine’s Day, his wife asked him to catch a bumpy for himself and sure enough he got the opportunity as the tide got low enough to fish for the brutes. Armed with a flexo crab and 30 lb leader on the ten wt rod, Scott sent a cast directly into a bumpy shoal and just by keeping contact with the fly he managed to come tight on a substantial fish. After a great bout on the turtlegrass flats, Yousuf managed to net the fish and subsequently sealing the deal on a flats slam for Scott.

Another epic catch that happened on day two occurred when Marcus tried his hand at permit fishing not too long into the morning. Also armed with a flexo crab and paired up with guide Chad, it was not long before several permit were spotted. One or two missed shots at permit had eventually led to a pair of permit that were slowly cruising just off the shoreline between sand and turtlegrass patches. With the weather being so calm Marcus laid out a cast a good ways in front of the fish and waited for the fish to wonder into striking range. As soon as Marcus stripped once, one of the permit noticed the fly and with a fin flare and a kick of the tail the fly had been inhaled. The fight went on for several antagonising minutes and Marcus managed to keep a cool head while Chad carefully went in to net the fish. The fish had his name on it and Marcus was soon holding his stunning 66 cm permit.

Over days one and four the fishing slowed significantly with some adverse weather conditions playing a large part in the tough fishing. On day four however, some nice catches were still managed among the team. Tim managed to get two GTs again while Rupert landed one. Scott walked the beach in search of triggers and after losing a good size yellow margin in close quarters, he was looking for redemption in the form of a tailing moustache triggerfish in the shallows. The cast landed a little short, but in the calm conditions the fish noticed the fly from some distance and pinned it against the floor the moment it saw it. Scott did a great job in keeping the fish from corals and landed his 55 cm trophy trigger.

It was a family affair on day five when Luke, Scott and Xander all landed a GT each. Scott continued in his trophy trigger ways and landed another large one, this time in the form of a 52 cm yellow margin. Perhaps further redemption on the yellow margin lost the previous day?

The final day of fishing closed the week out in style with Scott and Xander landing another GT each, Xander’s being his best to date at 90 cm. Tim managed to land two GTs for himself. Chantal had a goal of catching triggerfish the whole week and paired with guide Cullan she able to tick that one off on the last day with a decent moustache trigger of her own.

The boat of the day was guide Yousuf’s, who was teamed up with husband and wife duo Janice and Marcus. Janice managed to tick off her first Farquhar GT on the last day, while Marcus managed to land three. One of his GTs was also a trophy specimen. While polling a white sand flat in challenging light conditions, Yousuf could see a large shape approaching from the glare. Being a seasoned guide, Yousuf knew that a cast at the USO (unidentified swimming object) wouldn’t cost them anything, but could potentially yield favourable results. He advised Marcus to have a go and as soon as the fly hit the water the fish gave the tell tale signs of a GT gill flare before slowly lumbering forward toward the beast fly presented before it. The fish ate the fly slowly and Marcus, having a fair bit of large GT experience himself, put the brakes on the fish and it never saw the backing. He had his 106 cm GT in no time.

Tight lines, Blue Safari Fly Fishing

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